The Spica class were a class of torpedo boats of the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) during World War II. These ships were built as a result of a clause in the Washington Naval Treaty, which stated that ships with a tonnage of less than 600 could be built in unlimited numbers. Thirty-two ships were built between 1934 and 1937, thirty of which entered service with Italy and two which were sold to the Swedish Navy in 1940. The two units in Swedish service were classed as destroyers until 1953, then re-classified as corvettes. Although commonly referred to as torpedo boats due to their smaller displacement, the Spica class armaments were similar in design to destroyers (their design was influenced by the then in development), and were intended for anti-submarine duties, although they often had to fight aircraft and surface forces as well. Twenty-three vessels were lost during World War II. Design The design work started in 1932 and two prototypes, Spica and Astore, were built. The hull was long and displacement was around standard rather than the permitted by the Washington treaty. Propulsion consisted of a two shaft geared turbine layout with two Yarrow–type boilers. The armament consisted of three /47 caliber dual-purpose guns in single mountings in 'A', 'X' and 'Y' positions and three or four twin anti-aircraft machine guns—later replaced by 9 to 11 Breda 20/65 modello 35 20 mm cannons in various configurations. They also carried four torpedo tubes, two for each side, which had a shorter range and a smaller warhead than the ones in use on destroyers. Ships Notes to table: See also , an enlarged version of the class Footnotes Notes Citations Bibliography External links Classe Spica (1933-1940) Marina Militare website History of the class at italie1935-45.com Diving around the wreck of Aldebaran Torpedo boat classes World War II torpedo boats of Italy Ships built in Italy